Fire

Artists

Album Info

Release Date: 2002

Label: Coast to Coast

Fleurine debunks the myth of the typical Jazz singer, and is closer to those for whom jazz is not part of an image, nor a finality, but rather a means -among others - to be used in the search for their art. This quality places her in the realm of artists like Joni Mitchell, Laurie Anderson or Marisa Monte. Each, in their inimitable style, is astute enough not to fall into any fixed category.

With "Fire', Fleurine has created her own eclectic 'songbook'. Inspired by classical music, swing, rock, and South American rhythms, she shapes her identity, transcending the genres. Fleurine's musical integrity is the common denominator that makes all these genres into a cohesive sound that is distinctly hers.


Fleurine has spun her musical web with high quality material, enhancing each song with a touch of her own poetry. Her version of Nick Drake's composition' Fruit Tree' has a tip-toe like delicacy that touches on the sublime. "Après un Rêve", written by Gabriel Fauré, is one of the album's summits, achieving a perfect symbiosis between the harmonic alchemy of the French Master, Brad Mehldau's treatment, and Fleurine's sensual, mysterious voice. "So Tinha de Ser com Você" by Jobim is an ideal anchor point for the two other Brazilian influenced tunes, 'Suavidade' and 'Você', for which Fleurine penned part of the music and lyrics in Portuguese. On top of being a gifted musician, singer, arranger, and lyricist all at once (or even producer when it's needed), Fleurine possesses true talent for composition, showcased in the moving "Hey Little Girl", the elegant ballad that concludes this album.

The production of Robert Sadin is a model of musical restraint, resembling a marvelous piece of musical 'haute couture." Fleurine employs a varied tonal palette for her arrangements. The solid rhythm section of Jesse van Ruller and Johan Plomp are an integral part of the recording, providing a rich, flowing accompaniment for Fleurine, highlighted on some tracks by the subtle percussion and drums of Jeff Ballard, Seamus Blake's soulful tenor saxophone and Gil Goldstein's dramatic accordion.

With her natural, instinctive approach, her crystal timbre and distinguished sound, Fleurine draws us into her world, and with this intimate songbook she crosses boundaries, making it universal.

Pascal Bussy